Unexpected Circumstances
by The Pessimistic Lass
Summary: Somehow, despite all their flaws, they had managed to bring smiles upon each other.
1. Basement Prisoner

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Higuchi Tachibana. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This applies throughout the story.

Rated T for language, uncomfortable themes, and probable violence.

* * *

**I. Basement Prisoner**

* * *

He was bored.

And he_ hated_ being bored.

Once, out of boredom, he burnt all of Narumi's hair. Narumi only went back to attending classes three months after that incident when he regained a little more than half of his previous hair length. Of course, for those couple of months, Natsume's class got lucky to have free periods during Homeroom and English. Fukutan didn't do much, anyway.

Also, he was just fresh out of elementary when he etched-burnt a picture of Ruka romancing with Piyo on the blackboard, right in the middle of Jinno's class. Back then, Ruka blushed madly, as Hotaru Imai took pictures of his flustered face. After an earful of nagging from Jinno, the Black Cat was brought to the Faculty. When asked for the reason of his deeds, he simply replied, "I was bored."

The same reason was the cause for his reckless act three months ago. It was rumored that he burnt a considerable part of the Southern Woods to "figure out how much hectares of ground his Alice could cover". His act, of course, was given considerable deliberation and he personally received a handful of punishments from Persona.

Which brings back the topic of the Black Cat.

It had only been two hours since his mission when he finished the thick new volume of his favorite manga. He took a lazy glance at the watch his best friend gave him for his fourteenth birthday two years ago. _'Thirteen minutes till lunch break.' _He thought as he stood up and dusted himself.

Leaving the manga below the tree he sat, he took a detour to the Middle School Building to kill time. As he reached the Middle School grounds, he breathed in the faint smell of flowers from the Hana Hime Den, he slowly reminisced three years ago.

His group of friends held a party to celebrate the last day of the year. Tsubasa Andou, a then middle schooler, played a prank by placing sticky powder into their food just for fun. After an hour, most of them got released. Take note, _most_. Ruka and Hotaru were still stuck to each others' backs. Tsubasa, as he laughed nervously, stated that if one's cell is very similar to the sticky powder, it could last for about two to three days.

It was on the same hour of that incident, when Hotaru received an invitation to the Hanozono party. Reporting the problem, a reply came the morning of the next day, in the form of a package. It contained two sets of kimonos along with a flower-scented note attached.

_Please wear these kimonos when attending the New Year's Party today. Regarding the news of yesterday's "occurrence" that was reported to me, this is a special exception. We have permitted it. Companions are allowed to participate, as women._

_Sincerely,_

_Principal Himemiya._

Back then, Ruka complained for a whole hour until they came into a compromise. Hotaru gives back 25% of the pictures she has of him, and Ruka comes with her to the party, fully cross-dressed. And truthfully, the flower princesses didn't mind. That was before he hit puberty anyway when he was still very much in touch with his shy and feminine side.

That day, due to the issue of being stuck, they slept together. That was also the day Ruka confessed to Hotaru. It was just his luck that they were stuck to each others' _backs_. Exactly three seconds after the effects wore off, Hotaru kissed Ruka. They had Tsubasa to thank for this, of course.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he spotted two middle schoolers pass by. They were each carrying a small square tray of a lousy meal - dry rice, egg, and a cup of water. He didn't know if it was either to kill time or out of instinct that he followed the girls as they entered through the backdoor of the Hana Hime Den. He stayed a good eight meters behind them as he followed.

Then he recalculated what was happening. _Natsume Hyuuga entered the Hana Hime Den following two middle school girls, which had a strictly female only policy; and through the back door, to add to that, which had a "Restricted Area For Authorized Personnel Only" sign in bold red._

He inwardly groaned. _'What the hell am I doing?'_

A few minutes later, the girls halted to a stop. They conversed in hushed voices.

_"...condition... worse... tell..."_

_"...bring... they... Yukiaoi-sama..."_

Somehow, the last words he heard seemed to echo in his head. _'...Yukiaoi-sama... Yukiaoi... Yukiaoi... Aoi...'_

He just shrugged it off when one of them opened the door and entered, as she received the tray of the other. The second girl closed the door after she entered. After exactly half a minute, the girl who was waiting outside the door opened it. The first girl came out, her hands carrying two empty trays. The Black Cat stayed hidden behind a wall, simply observing.

"I just remembered. It's Hii-sama's birthday today!" Her voice was more carefree than a while back.

The other girl giggled. "Then what are we waiting for? There's gotta be a lot of food upstairs. Let's go!"

He remained stationary until he heard no more of their fading footsteps. Curiously, he walked towards the small door. He carefully grabbed a hold of the handle and slowly, whilst with much force, pulled the door to open without creaking.

He ducked to get in as he closed the door behind him. As he stared in front of him, all he could see was pitch black. He lit a fireball to light his way. There was a staircase leading deeper down into what looked like an entrance to Tartarus.

He turned around, thinking about leaving, but the door was stuck. He tried again, but it didn't budge. _'Shit.'_

He took a weary glance at the staircase._ 'There's nothing much to do, anyway.' _As he descended the stairs, he could see the outline of maze-like corridors._ 'What the fuck is this?' _As the Black Cat inwardly groaned._ 'Right, think.'_ He closed his eyes and snapped them open just as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"If all its walls are connected to the maze's outer boundary, then by keeping one hand in contact with one wall of the maze, I may reach a different exit if there is one; otherwise, I return to the entrance." He murmured to himself. Then he groaned again._ 'If only.' _But then again, he was willing to take his chances. _'Another way of killing time.'_ He tried to convince himself. _'Other than waiting for Persona to find out, anyway.'_

He lifted his fire higher, giving him a wider area of view. The walls looked to be in a bad condition its white paint dripping with traces of water leak. The floor had lousily nailed pieces of wood stained with traces of dried up blood. _'What the fuck?' _He placed his hand against one side of the wall and continued walking._'This better have an exit.' _He thought while gritting his teeth.

He continued until he felt his Alice acting up on him. As he started having his coughing fits, he quickly expelled the fire and sat down. He leaned on the wall, counting his choices. 'One_, continue walking for God-knows-how-long. Two. Let Persona find me, I get punished, and I get out. Three-'_

"What are you doing here?" A voice called out to him. Instinctively, he lit his fire again. The figure was wearing a loose gray shirt, long-sleeved in one side, and torn off on the other. She was dragging along a long pair of pants that didn't seem to fit her. Her hair was tousled to look as if she hadn't combed for weeks. Her pale skin was full of bruises and callous traces of blood. And she was thin. As in, the anorexic kind of thin.

Countering her features, she had a shining gold bracelet on along with a silver ring each on one hand. _'Alice controllers?'_ After a few seconds of simply staring at each other, she inquired, "You're Hyuuga Natsume?"

The Black Cat was surprised that she knew him. "Who are you?"

She ignored the question. "Why are you here?" The Black Cat didn't answer. He wasn't gonna admit that he entered the damn basement because of curiosity, but got locked in and is now currently lost. Luck was definitely not on his side that day. "Curiosity killed the cat, they say." She stated.

He scoffed at the pun. "Well, I think that I'm still standing tall, very much alive." She glared at that. But he continued, "Who are you?"

"That isn't necessary." Her face was void of emotion.

The Black Cat was persistent. "What's your name?"

She was getting annoyed. "Are you deaf? If you are, then let me repeat it for you." She said as he glared at her. Ignoring the act, she continued, "I said, it isn't necessary. Rather, you should be grateful I showed up. I don't usually make appearances, but if it's you..." She trailed off.

"How do you know me?" He asked. She made no reply. Instead, she turned around and waved her hand as if to say _follow me_. Seeing that it was either to follow the mysterious girl, continue his choice one, or commence choice two; he quickly went after her.

After five minutes of following her twisting and turning, she looked back at him. She gave him a strange stare before going back to ensue the path. It wasn't his usual character to start conversations but he needed to get out, fast._ Before_ Persona finds him. "So, you know your way around here?" Again, she didn't give a reply. She took a U-turn to the right as Natsume followed suit.

To say that the Black Cat was as pissed as hell was an understatement. He wasn't used to having people ignoring him and his questions. But then again, he couldn't provoke her. He _needed_ her to get out of here. "How long have you been in here?"

She looked back at him with her emotionless face. "Look. I don't know _why_ or_ how_ you ended up in here, but you should have known before hand that the door that you just entered through is Alice-proof, and that it could be only opened from the outside. I am actually doing you a favor right now, so could you just shut up and follow me?"

Arduously, he managed to ignore the obvious provocation. By and by, the very faint smell of aroma reached his nose. The sound of munching food and clattering silverware could be heard.

Then, a soft high voice asked, "Nee-chan? Is someone with you?" He stopped in his tracks. _'Was that...'_

"Onee-chan?" The voice asked louder. The Black Cat stood frozen. As he turned to face the girl he's been following, she simply motioned her hand to signal a left turn and leaned on the wall. The Black Cat let his curiosity take control of him for one more time as he took a turn to his left.

Then his crimson eyes met with those eyes of the same hue. She had straight raven hair that reached her shoulders. She wore the same clothes of the girl from a while back, except for the part that her top wasn't damaged and that she was clad in white ankle socks as well.

She was on the floor of a wide open jail bar, holding a spoon of rice. In front of her laid the two sets of food he has seen a while back with the girls he followed.

As she looked up to him, her eyes widened. "...Wh-who are...y-you?"

He didn't reply, but simply stared at her in shock. He never thought that this moment would come. He'd been hoping, yes, but certainly not expecting.

"I-I... wh-who are..." Her eyes widened further as she dropped the piece of silverware. "Na-natsume-nii?"

"Aoi." He managed to blurt out. As if trying to convince himself, he repeated under his breath, "Aoi... _Aoi..._"

Aoi had tears in her eyes as she pushed the food aside and ran to his arms. "Natsume-nii..." She whispered, her voice an apparent mixture of surprise and joy. The Black Cat closed his eyes as he allowed Aoi to hug him. In his low voice, he murmured, "Don't cry."

Then as if it were the first in a long year, she smiled widely.

* * *

_I'm still a beginner in writing. Easy with the flames please. Constructive criticisms are welcome though._

_**The Pessimistic Lass, **_20th of May, 2012


	2. Impromptu Escapade

**II. Impromptu Escapade.**

* * *

"Done with the drama?" She asked, in an obvious tone of mockery. The Black Cat shot a glare at her direction which she blatantly ignored. She paused for a while, throwing an unfathomable glance at the little girl who clung to his leg. Finally, she drawled, "Finish your food Aoi."

Contradictory to the childish pout that she gave, she cheerfully skipped over to her meal and sat down as she started digging in. Seeing that Aoi was concentrated on the food, she motioned the Black Cat to follow her. She started talking when she was safely out of earshot. "I don't like explaining, so I'll just get to the point. The Barrier Alice on this side of the building is considerably weaker, so this is your escape route out," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?" He asked.

She shot a glare at him, but answered his question, nevertheless. "I've been here long enough. So I'm gonna blast this wall off and restore them back just as fast since this building can't hold without foundational support from this side. So if you don't want any of your limbs to be a permanent part of the wall, I suggest you move fast." It was after a few seconds when she added, "And if your vision gets obscured by the haze of the smoke, close your eyes and run straight ahead."

He stared. It was only after a few seconds that he snapped. "Are you actually strategizing a plan for me?"

She rolled her eyes, giving him a _duh-look_.

He twitched. "I could blast this wall myself."

She scoffed. "Save it. Blasting both walls would result in you breaking down from coughing fits because of your pitiful Alice. How would you escape then?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised. To say that he was as pissed as hell was an understatement. Not only did she think of him incapable of strategizing a plan, she even underestimated his Alice. And as if not noticing the deadly aura he emitted, she continued, "Suck up your pride. You do understand the gravity of the situation, don't you?"

He scowled. "It's my sister on the line here. Of course I do. Just saying I could form my own plan."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course. You'd probably be planning on saving a 'Ruka Nogi' as well, which would mean, you would be giving Persona and the guards more time to catch up with you. And if he does catch up with you, my efforts go to waste and Aoi will _still_ be stuck in this hellhole, with more security than there already is."

He seemed surprised that she knew them. "How do you know Ruka and Persona?"

At that, a smirk found a way to her lips. "Your sister had quite a story to tell, you know. She told me _everything_." Her emphasis on the word did not go unnoticed by the Black Cat. He just hoped that his sister hasn't told her anything... unsuitable for outside knowledge.

"And as for the latter... why did you actually think I looked like this?" She asked, as she motioned to her bruised arms. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What'd you do? Provoke him?"

"Maybe," she said. Then she scoffed. "This is ridiculous. I'm not gonna waste my time here telling you my life story." She turned around and started walking back to where she came from. She glanced behind her shoulder and said drawled, "Time is of the essence Hyuuga. Move fast."

He groaned at her domineering attitude. "So, you have the Explosion Alice?"

"Who said I do?" She asked.

"Well, you were going to blast off the wall. What else could your Alice be?" He gave a snicker. "The Fire Alice?"

She paused for a while and said, "Wind Alice."

He cast her a disbelieving look and sardonically repeated, "_Wind_ Alice." She rolled her eyes at his reaction.

"Yes. I'm going to strengthen the wind currents enough to make an explosion," she stated monotonously.

He scoffed. "Right."

* * *

The walls cracked down just as the air was filled with a heavy putrid smell. Not wasting any time, the Black Cat lifted Aoi and instructed her to cover her eyes and nose. He covered the back of her head as he swiftly moved through the dusty fragments of cement remains.

He took a glance behind his shoulder. She was standing there, with a deep cut on her left cheek, freshly oozing out blood. Her eyes held something he couldn't quite place. Gratification? Amenity? She stared at him with seemingly bored eyes. The moment lasted for less than a second when the debris started returning to its original position. Taking note of the time he has left, he quickly faced front and started running again.

"Hold on." He told Aoi, as she tightened her grip around him. He was half way through the grounds, when he blasted a part of the main wall earlier to lessen the thick pungent scent of melted paint and scorched wood.

He ran further, faster. He panted as he ran through the explosion. It was at his advantage that Aoi wasn't at all heavy. As he released a cough, he quickly placed Aoi down when they where a good few meters from the Academy. "Can you run?" He asked. She gave a small nod. From the corner of his eyes, he saw guards from the Academy.

He grabbed her hand and started running to a more crowded place. The crowd gave him weird looks when he passed by, mainly because of his uniform. Alice Academy students were not supposed to be outside. He simply ignored them. But Aoi, embarrassed by the attention she was getting, bowed her head low.

They crossed the streets when the pedestrian light was still red. After receiving an earful of honking and cussing, they reached the phone box beside the bus station, and quickly lead her in.

_Insert coin/s here._

He didn't have any Yen coins. Why would he? But as far as he knew, Rabbits were similar in size, mass, and composition to the Yen coin. He dug his hand into his right pocket and got out a few rabbits.

Counting six coins, he placed them all into the coin slot. Then as he picked up the phone, he dialed a number he surprisingly hasn't forgotten yet. He just hoped that whoever he was calling hasn't changed his telephone number.

Someone picked up on the third ring. "He-hello?" A voice on the other line stuttered.

Natsume started. "Dad. I need-

But the person on the receiving line cut in. "Natsume!" He exclaimed in a disbelieving voice. Aoi widened her eyes. "I-is that...?"

"Yes." He answered both of them. "Listen, I need you to come here to Tokyo. Go to the bus station nearest the Academy. It's in front of a coffeehouse named _Marlatté_. Aoi's waiting." He explained in a fast-paced voice. He took a precautionary glance outside the glass walls of the payphone. The guards were nearing.

A few second passed before his dad gave a reply. "Natsume, I-

But Natsume cut in. "No time. Just-

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Please insert more coins to continue the call or click on the end button."

He clicked on the end button and carelessly left the phone hanging on its spring cord. He dragged Aoi outside the payphone and ran to bus station a few meters from their last position. He sat her on the bus station bench as he turned his head once more. The guards were a few meters away.

He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Listen. Aoi, stay here. Sit down and stay as inconspicuous as possible. Do you understand me?" She gave a small weak nod.

"Dad'll come. If someone tries to do something to you, just scream, alright?"

She tilted her head to the side. "You... you aren't coming with me?"

It took him a few seconds to process what he'd heard. After all the years of waiting, of _hoping_ to find Aoi and escape the hellhole excuse of a school, he couldn't answer. Firstly, there were his friends to think of. The friends who have helped him retain his sanity in the school. He couldn't leave them with Persona around. Secondly, he needed to find out who that girl was. She saved his sister's life. And the fact that she intrigued him.

And lastly, if he would come, the guards would chase after them. It was likely that they would get caught. But if it was her, just her; then maybe, just maybe, she could go home safely. She was a non-Alice anyway, what use do they have of her? If he was willingly going to return to the Academy, anyway.

After what seemed to be long minutes, he replied, "I... can't."

Aoi gave a small understanding smile. "You're trying to protect me, right? Then, it's fine. Just promise me one thing."

Her brother raised an eyebrow at her. "Take care of onee-san for me, and..." She paused for a while - giving the impression of thinking - and continued, "And after you graduate, I'm the first person you'll be visiting! Is that clear?"

He stared at her blankly. "That's two things."

Aoi gave a soft giggle. "Well? Promise me?"

He rolled his eyes at her steadily cheerful attitude. "Yeah, whatever," he said, as he stood up from his previous kneeling position. They guards were merely a few meters away. "They're gonna catch up. I need to go."

"Okay." Aoi smiled at her brother. "Thanks onii-chan." And as he started leaving, she added, "Take care!"

* * *

_The chapter's short, and it was obviously rushed. But I still hope you enjoyed._

**_The Pessimistic Lass, _**3rd of June, 2012.


	3. Pool-Side Chats

**III. Pool-Side Chats**

* * *

He was tearing off his shirt when he noticed someone swimming in the pool. This shouldn't have bothered him in the least, but he knew that the only person willing to swim alongside him was Hayate Matsudaira.

...Well, not even.

During nights, the campus pool was used exclusively by the Dangerous Ability Class. The others were expected to swim during daylight. But since run-ins into Dangerous Abilities were and unwelcome, no one from other mixed classes had bothered to use it at all. On the other hand, run-ins _between_ Dangerous Abilities were quite dangerous, so they had come up with an unspoken schedule. At first, no one had wanted to pair up with him in the fear of causing unwanted ruckus. So he swam alone.

A few days later, Hayate Matsudaira had volunteered. _'I'll keep an eye on him,'_ the stupid git had so courageously said.

_Keep an eye, my ass. _He had burnt his arm, leaving a scar that stayed for two months.

Matsudaira rarely ever showed up in the swimming pool. _So much for bravery._

But then again, no one had complained. It was a fine arrangement between the both of them.

So as he watched the body swim, it had occurred to him that this was a girl. And the only girls from the Dangerous Ability Class were Luna Koizumi and Nobara Ibaragi - who, judging from her brunette hair, was neither of them.

So it was either she was a new Dangerous Ability, or that she was a normal student with a sick sense of humor. None of these seemed likely.

A nagging feeling said that this was the girl he met a few hours back, with a few minor changes: she was now wearing a loose white top and denim shorts - clothes definitely not suited for swimming. Her white top had ran up her torso and the fast strokes did nothing to fix the problem. The denim shorts, on the other hand, seemed to be outweighing her.

Not that he had minded.

He many have been the best of Dangerous Abilities; he may have been known for his callosity; he may have been dubbed a genius; but he was also sixteen.

She swam fast - nothing on him, of course - but fast enough. He was not really surprised, but her anorexic body, which looked like it would crush anytime soon, was capable of being graceful and lithe.

Pushing aside all thoughts, he had managed to change into his swimming trunks and get in the pool. He took the lane farthest from her and started slicing his way through the water.

* * *

Night had already settled when he got out of the pool. Through the ceiling to floor windows, he could already see the student council rounding up students strolling about.

This curfew was implemented since two years ago - when the Anti-Alice Organization had decided to take action. He remembered it quite clearly.

It was 8:34 PM and a few middle schoolers were still roaming around the campus. Most elementary students were already in their dormitories, while the high school students were preparing for their exams to take place in a fortnight.

Included in that group of students was Natsume, dozing off in a tree branch, cleverly concealed by its leaves. That was when he heard the screams. He had snapped his eyes open and turned his head to look below him.

An Anti-Alice Organization soldier was holding a knife against an Alice Academy student's neck. Four other AAO soldiers surrounded them. The middle schoolers were standing stiffly in shock. He contemplated jumping down and attacking, but decided against it. A five-to-one with civilians to protect was not favoring him side.

The soldier held his knife closer to his neck as another one behind him addressed the crowd, "Give us Natsume Hyuuga and we will go in peace." He had almost snorted. The trite line seemed to be taken from a melodramatic movie of some sort. Go in peace? Right.

He had held the trunk and twisted his body without causing the leaves to rustle to get a better view of the scene. What he saw shook him with anger.

The student had been Ruka Nogi. And apparently, he had been on the way to get rye grass hay for his rabbit, Usagi.

When soldier got no answer aside from a few rustling of clothes and fidgety movements, he dug the knife closer to Ruka's neck. Natsume's eyes caught the small beady droplet of blood starting to form. That's when he lost it.

Despite his training on Tactical Operations, he had simply acted on instinct: he sent his fire burning the man's knuckles where he knew would make him drop the knife. Then he had jumped to the ground and grabbed him by the shoulders. He was already hurling him towards the tree when the other four had noticed. Then collective gasps from the audience were heard.

He pushed Ruka backwards and took his stance. In a few seconds, one of the men was crumpling to his knees. The other three were panting. The fight continued until one of them with the Invisibility Alice had shot a bullet towards him. He dodged, but was grazed in his forearm.

He knew then that he couldn't win without using his Alice. But without the additional controllers he had used in missions, he would not take the chance of releasing uncontrollable fire onto the onlookers. So he had kept to blocking, dodging, and punching. It had lasted for three minutes and twenty seven seconds until other Dangerous Abilities had arrived.

Apparently, someone with the Telepathy Alice had enough sense to call for help.

Out of the five AAO soldiers, three had been killed, one had escaped, and one had lost his mind upon questioning.

Since then, he had not hung around Ruka so much, with full knowledge that he might have been the cause of his best friend's death.

And since then, the Academy had implemented curfew, imposing punishments, courtesy of Narumi, upon those who did not follow.

This was why when he quickly changed back into his uniform and saw that the girl was just on her way to leave, he had been curious. Surely, she could see the council marshaling the campus? Only Dangerous Abilities were exempted from curfew.

With swift long strides, he managed to catch up and pushed her back to the wall beside the door. She struggled to break lose as he caught her wrists. Realizing that she currently did not have enough upper body strength to break free, she then glared. "What the fuck do you want?" True. What the fuck _did_ he want?

_Well, maybe her name, how Aoi was there, why she doesn't attend school... _The list went on and on.

"Let's start with your name," he sneered.

She was still struggling her wrists when she answered. "How many fucking times should I tell you that it isn't necessary?" He managed to restrain the urge to use his Alice on her. He was about to coerce the information out of her but the look on her face told him that she was not about to tell him her name anytime soon, under any circumstances.

He tried for another question. "Why was she there?"

She sneered. "You know why she was there, Hyuuga. I don't know why you even bother to ask." He raised an eyebrow. He did know why. He had just chosen not to believe it and had blamed it on the cruelty of the Academy instead. Any third grader could have easily jumped to the conclusion actually. Like many other things, he had been the cause.

He figured that the questioning was not rooting in his favor. Her short clipped responses_ weren't even answers for fuck's sake!_ He was never going to win if he kept going this way. Then he remembered a particular lesson on Inquisitorial Training. _If the answers are unsatisfactory, keep them talking. Hit a weak spot and gain control. Maneuver the conversation. Avoid distractions._

The problem was, he barely knew this person, aside from the fact that she was a girl who had full control over her Alice, that she was stuck in the basement with Aoi who seemed to like her, that she helped her escape, and that she probably and most likely is fond of his sister. Though this was not a concrete fact, but merely a deduced guess, it was the best lead he had, so he went for it. "She was starved."

Her eyes flashed dangerously in a mixture of disbelief and guilt. _Bingo._

Catching sight of his triumphant smirk, she opted for an indifferent look. "You are telling me this because?"

He growled and tightened his grip on her wrists. She had almost flinched in pain. Almost.

"I've offered my share of meals but she refused, so I've been giving most of my food into her plate without her knowledge," she gritted out. That seemed to take him by surprise because for a second, he slackened his grip. And in that second, she twisted her way out.

She was already on her way out when she spoke. "I heard Dangerous Abilities were trained to take in all sorts of information in indifference." A small smirk danced in her lips as she continued, "Well, obviously not."

"You're probably wondering why Persona hasn't approached you." She turned around to catch the look on Natsume's face. "I've taken the punishment for your little escapade." Her smirk was more pronounced when she had caught a glimpse of anger and surprise at his face.

The smug look on her face was not gone until she had completely disappeared from Natsume's view.

Aoi was imprisoned because of him. Ruka almost died because of him. And this girl whom he barely knew had taken punishment for his sake. He had never felt any more masochistic in his life.

* * *

_OMFG. I am so sorry for the delay. Cause, I've been like, deciding to take this fanfiction off the net, but then... well, deleting a story is hard work you know. The pressure, the potential, the nagging feeling... well, anyway. I apologize._

_So, I've started writing this yesterday and I've just finished editing it today._

_That aside, belatedbelatedbelated Happy New Year everyone! Review? :D_

_**Charcoal Grey**_

* * *

4th of January 2013


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